Profiles

UMC prides itself on being a visionary in the ever-changing precision manufacturing industry to continue to meet its customers’ needs.

By Janice Hoppe-Spiers

Terry Tomann founded Ultra Machining Co. (UMC) in 1968 in his family garage with the goal of growing his business into a premier manufacturing operation. He chose the name “Ultra” because it means “going beyond others.” Coming up on its 50th anniversary next year, the company takes pride in never wavering from that philosophy.

“My dad wanted to create something different than what he’d seen at other shops,” second-generation owner and CEO Don Tomann says. “He was a skilled machinist and a visionary with the ability to take risk. To me, his legacy is about seeing the opportunity in situations where others don’t, and manifesting t he courage and determination to keep pushing things forward.”

Kountry Wood Products founder, owner and CEO Ola Yoder has seen the company grow during its 20 years of existence from operating in his barn to producing more 1.4 million kitchen cabinets a year in more than 250,000 combined square feet of factory space.

Yoder established the company in 1998 as a maker of picture and mirror frames for major retailers and cabinet doors for the RV industry. Before starting Kountry Wood, he worked for 26 years at a manufactured housing company.

Belshaw Adamatic’s new OVEN-2020 offers more features and energy efficiency.

By Alan Dorich

After nearly 100 years, some companies might be tempted to rest on their laurels, but Belshaw Adamatic Bakery Group chooses to stay fresh with new products, including its new OVEN-2020. “What we’ve done is created the most energy-efficient oven on the market,” R&D Manager Chris Brock declares.

Based in Auburn, Wash., Belshaw Adamatic manufactures donut fryers and production equipment, and custom-engineered bread and roll lines for bakeries, quick-service restaurants, supermarkets and concession operators. Founder Tom Belshaw started the company in 1923 when he saw the opportunity to make donuts using a more sanitary robotic system.

AP Exhaust Technologies has designed, manufactured and supplied high-quality exhaust and emissions products for 90 years.

By Bianca Herron

AP Emission Technologies is a leading global manufacturer of automotive, light truck, and heavy-duty exhaust and emissions products. For 90 years, the Goldsboro, N.C.-based company has continued its tradition of providing high-quality mufflers, exhaust pipes and catalytic converters to commercial customers and auto service professionals.

The company attributes its success to several acquisitions in recent years. In 2011, AP Exhaust acquired Catco and ANSA Automotive Import Exhaust, which helped to extend its product line. The company acquired a competitor, Imco Maremont, in 2013 and its 2015 acquisition of Eastern Catalytic not only helped to provide customers with more product choices for their business needs, but also created synergies in terms of design and manufacturing technologies.

Allied’s new manufacturing facility increases production capacity and efficiency while improving quality and safety.

By Bianca Herron

Allied Photochemical is a manufacturer of environmentally safe, 100 percent solids, UV-curable inks, paints and coatings. According to President Dan Sweetwood, UV curing technologies allow the company to cure the coating or ink by passing the product through an intense UV light, which is beneficial in three ways.

“First, users don’t need a large oven, like traditional methods, because the required UV light will have a much smaller footprint,” Sweetwood explains. “Second, users can potentially increase their line speed as the required UV exposure takes only a few seconds.”

Indiana Tube sets itself apart as a steel tube manufacturer with its strong product knowledge and dedication to understanding its customers’ needs.

For more than 40 years, Indiana Tube Corp. (ITC) has been manufacturing low carbon mechanical-grade welded steel tubing. The company has expanded its capabilities and product offerings to meet the needs of its customers. “Since the infancy of the company, ITC has maintained operational focus on superior product quality and outstanding customer focus,” the company says.

A Handy & Harman Ltd. company, ITC specializes in welded, low-carbon and high-strength, low-alloy steel tube. “Our experienced team provides expertise on current and new product development utilizing the ‘H&H Business System,’ focusing on continuous improvements utilizing: H&H lean tools, kaizen, Six Sigma and ISO 9001 standards,” the company says.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s parent company invested heavily in its capabilities.

Founded in 1942 to meet a growing demand for naval construction, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is today a world-class shipbuilder that has designed and built more than 1,500 vessels.

In recent years, the Marinette, Wis.-based company’s corporate parent, Fincantieri, has invested more than $73 million into expanding and upgrading the company’s shipyard and personnel. The company now boasts 550,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehouse and receiving space.

New additions to the company’s manufacturing capabilities include dedicated steel, welding, blast painting and other production lines.

Fincantieri purchased Marinette Marine in 2008. The Italy-based company, which operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding companies. Fincantieri operates nearly 20,000 employees in 20 shipyards on four different continents, and has a history dating back 200 years. The company has produced more than 7,000 ships.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine is one of three Great Lakes shipyards operated by FMB. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, located in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., traces its roots in shipbuilding back to 1918. FMM’s sister subsidiary, ACE Marine in Green Bay, is an all-aluminum shipbuilder focused on building the Response Boat-Medium for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The FMG shipyards are able to leverage and benefit from the support and resources of its parent company with its staff of experienced engineers and skilled workers to build safe, technologically sophisticated ships to customer specifications, FMG says.

Full Scale

Fincantieri’s investment transformed FMM from being a custom builder for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and other clients into a full-scale manufacturing company. “We’ve gone from building unique ships one at a time to having a dedicated production line, without sacrificing quality or our pride in craftsmanship,” the company says.

The upgrades allowed the company to fulfill a contract with the U.S. Navy to produce littoral combat ships (LCS). LCS vessels are 3400-ton, 387-foot-long mission-focused vessels designed for shallow waters that support larger naval ships in combat.

The company, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, delivered its fifth LCS to the U.S. Navy in late September. The ship will be commissioned later this year as the USS Little Rock and will replace a decommissioned ship of the same name.

“[FMM’s] shipbuilders are proud to deliver this proven warship, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building these highly capable ships for the fleet,” FMM President and CEO Jan Allman said in a press release.

Lockheed Martin and FMM currently have seven LCS ships in various states of construction at FMM’s shipyard. FMM’s ship portfolio also includes U.S. Navy mine countermeasure vessels and ocean tugs as well as U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers, buoy tenders and response vessels. The company has also built non-military vessels including a research vessel for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The vessel, named the RV Sikuliaq – meaning “young sea ice” in the Inupiaq language) – was completed in 2014.

The Right Tools

Lean manufacturing methods are playing a large role in MMC’s transformation. The company is using 5S and other methodologies to reduce its cycle time and improve its internal processes and overall product quality. This has included installing tool boards at workstations and engaging in ongoing projects such as monitoring the ways it manages and uses materials.

The company also employs modular construction methods in its manufacturing operations. Each component of a ship is built individually and then the components are assembled and welded together. Cutting-edge computer-controlled manufacturing equipment and heavy-lift machinery are used to build and assemble ships.

Along with expanding and reconfiguring its manufacturing operations, MMC is also investing in an expanded workforce and training for its employees. Training focuses on two areas: entry level skills such as steel and aluminum welding, ironworking, sealing, installing electric components and testing; and advanced skills such as welding stiffened ship panels and component module seams. Training is also being provided to managers. “We’ve developed a rigorous and well-defined process to train our supervisors in leadership and management,” the company says.

Phoenix Closures continues to innovate within the plastic cap and closure market.

Phoenix Closures has a more than 125-year history of introducing new and revolutionary products to the market.

“From the introduction of the modern continuous thread cap in 1922, to the creation of the pulp and glassine liner system in the 1930’s that is still used on instant coffee today, to the development of the AccuSeal sealing system in 2001, we have a long history of introducing innovative products into the market,” the Naperville, Ill.-based manufacturer says.

The company produces caps and closures used in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Its products include child-resistant caps, shallow skirted closures, smooth top and ribbed side closures, medium and deep-skirted closures, buttress-style closures, dosing and dispensing closures, and spice caps and fitments. Phoenix Closures’ products are available in a variety of sizes and colors.

Phoenix Closures’ development staff works with customers to determine their packaging goals. “We believe innovation is a process, not an event,” the company says. “We evaluate custom designs and standard applications to ascertain their cost effectiveness, and formulate closure solutions to get the customer’s product to market quickly, creatively and within budget.”

The company has in recent years been awarded a number of patents for its products including the AccuSeal system, an all-plastic alternative for products that have traditionally been packaged in composite cans, cartons and cans. “These achievements have resulted in substantial recognition and product successes for our customers through revolutionary closure designs,” it adds.

Other recent Phoenix Closures developments include dispensing closures used for non-dairy creamer packages and custom closure used in single-serve milk cartons.

“Many companies can introduce new products. We take the concept of innovation one step further by working closely with our customers to determine the most cost-effective way to develop a unique closure solution,” the company says. “We also understand that speed to market is many times one of the deciding factors in a new product’s success. Our in-house design engineers work directly with customers’ project engineers and marketing staff to quickly create 3-dimensional design concepts or stereo lithographic models for management review.”

Phoenix Closures’ development engineers have extensive experience in closure and mold design. “Just because a design is creative doesn’t mean it will work,” the company adds. “Our development engineers’ insights enable critical design decisions to be made before costly mistakes are created.”

In addition to closure design, the company’s technical services group also helps customers maximize their capping line operations. The group provides on-site assistance to identify problems and recommend solutions. Its services include failure analysis, packaging line analysis, heat induction set-up and seal analysis, capper adjustment, package compatibility studies, leakage testing and torque retention analysis, it says.

Physical Footprint

Phoenix Closures operates four facilities. The Naperville facility, its corporate headquarters since 1965, has been expanded four times to meet its customers’ growing needs.

The company’s second plant in Davenport, Iowa, opened in May 2000 and focuses mainly on producing proprietary and custom closures. Phoenix Closures’ third plant in Newport, Tenn., opened in October 2005. The plant’s location just off of Interstate 40, a major East-West highway, gives it ideal positioning to serve the eastern and southeastern United States.

Phoenix Closures’ fourth plant opened in July 2012 in Greencastle, Ind. The facility gives the company greater efficiency to produce stock closures, it says.

In addition to its production facilities, the company in July 2009 opened a distribution center in Ontario, Calif., that allows it to better serve the western part of the country.

The company maintains more than 350,000 square feet of warehouse space and stocks more than 700 different items. “We use a radio frequency (RF) inventory management system to provide real-time information to customer service and warehouse staff,” it says. “With more than 200 million closures in inventory, we are able to ship most orders within 48 hours.”

Extra Capacity

Phoenix Closures in August 2017 opened a multimillion-dollar expansion to its Newport, Tenn., facility. The expansion adds more than 71,000 square feet of space for a variety of operations. The location, which processes the largest volume of plastic used by the company, provides closures for nuts, peanut butter, mayonnaise and coffee.

“This allows us to streamline materials flow and add capacity for production, shipping and warehousing,” Co-President H. Giles Miller said in a statement. “We always want to be ahead of what it takes to accommodate our customers.”

The expansion of the site from 206,068 to 277,607 square feet provides room for 14 new pieces of equipment and 18 additional personnel. The new machinery includes injection molding, closure lining, automation, and auxiliary equipment.

The new space also eliminates the need for off-site warehousing, which will improve the company’s on-time delivery rate, it says.

Environmental Commitment

The company believes in protecting the environment as well as its employees. “We are committed to environmental leadership in all of our business activities,” Phoenix Closures says. “We provide a safe, healthful workplace; protect the environment, and conserve energy and natural resources.”

Phoenix Closures’ sustainability policies include:

* “Providing a safe and healthful workplace and ensuring that personnel are properly trained with the appropriate safety and emergency equipment;

* Being an environmentally responsible neighbor in the community where we operate and correct incidents or conditions that endanger health, safety, or the environment;

* Conserving natural resources by adopting pollution prevention practices such as extending the life of equipment through preventive maintenance scheduling and, purchasing and reworking used equipment;

* Developing and improving operations and technologies to minimize waste and other pollution, minimize health and safety risks, and dispose of waste safely and responsibly;

* Ensuring the responsible use of energy throughout our business, including conserving energy improving energy efficiency, and giving preference to renewable over non-renewable energy when feasible;

* Participating in efforts to improve environmental protection and understanding and sharing appropriate pollution prevention technology, knowledge and methods with other firms;

* Meeting and exceeding all applicable federal and state requirements set and adhere to stringent requirements no matter where we do business;

* Establishing procedures to ensure all that employees are knowledgeable of, understand and comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations; and

* Promptly correcting any practice or condition not in compliance with policy,” the company says.

Company Evolution

Phoenix Closures dates its history to 1890, when John S. Giles, a Civil War veteran and lawyer, founded Safe Glass Co. in Bowling Green, Ohio. The company manufactured handmade glass jars for fruit packers and patented a number of designs.

The glass jars were, however, difficult to seal. The most common closure at the time, a cork stopper, was insufficient for processed food packers. Safe Glass Co. would soon begin marketing the “band cap,” a closure shown during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The wide acceptance of the cap led the company to become a cap manufacturer, it notes.

Safe Glass Co. in 1905 merged with the J.A. Landsberger Co., a San Francisco-based metal cap manufacturer, to form the Hermetic Closure Co. Soon afterward, it discontinued glass making and moved operations to Chicago.

Hermetic Closure Co. merged with the Phoenix Cap Co. of New York in 1911, forming the Phoenix-Hermetic Co. Phoenix-Hermetic was a pioneer in closure design, capping machinery, cap sealing, metal forming and lithography. The company Innovations included the development of the modern continuous thread (CT) cap in 1922. In an effort to better describe the business, the company changed its name in 1932 to The Phoenix Metal Cap Company.

The company produced its first plastic caps in 1939, however, production of the compression-molded caps was limited because of resin costs and wartime resin restrictions. In 1959, the company purchased its first injection molding machine. Demand for thermoplastic caps was so great that the company opened a dedicated injection molding facility in Naperville, a Chicago suburb, in 1965.

The following year, the company changed its name to Phoenix Closures to reflect its new focus on thermoplastics. The fifth addition to the facility was completed in 1986.

The company today is in its sixth generation of family management and ownership. “We continue to strive to provide our customers with innovative and cost-effective products to guarantee market penetration,” it says.

SIDEBAR

Mission and Values

Values: “Phoenix Closures, Inc. will recruit and develop employees who are committed to engineering, manufacturing and supplying products that create the best value for our customers, employees, vendors and stockholders. We will empower individuals to achieve continuous improvement in all aspects of our business, emphasizing quality, cost, delivery, safety and the environment.”

Vision: “To be a growing, world class, well managed, privately held packaging provider.

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